3 of 9

Write now Article Tools

Mr. Kennedy's assertion that the percentage of people in poverty in the United States is the highest in the developed world is often repeated; Paul Harris, a correspondent for the London Observer working in the US, has made the same claim. But where is the comparative data? And, equally important but more difficult to answer, how is poverty defined?

One must always be cautious when employing statistics. There isn't a statistic worth citing that can't be disputed by someone. However, if these numbers are reasonably accurate, they tell a very different story about American poverty as compared with the rest of the developed world. The figure of 37 million cited by Mr. Kennedy puts US poverty rates at between 12 and 13 percent. Far from being at the bottom, this rate demonstrates America is in about the middle of the pack, trailing countries such as Sweden and the Netherlands, but about equal to France, and ahead of Britain.

http://www.poverty.org .uk/L01a/index.shtml

In addition, some facts about poverty in Canada are available here.

http://www.ccsd.ca/facts. html

The United States government establishes monetary thresholds to calculate approximate poverty figures. For instance, a family of three is considered poverty-stricken if forced to subsist on less than about $17,000 per year. This statistic can only tell us so much. In a very expensive city like, say, San Francisco, a family of three might struggle to survive on twice that figure. In a cheaper locale, like Indianapolis, it would be a bit easier for the theoretical $17,000 family to make ends meet. And in rural Mississippi, $17,000 might be enough to eke out a fairly reasonable existence. Nowhere in the country is that sum going to make one rich, but how far money goes depends on geography, and on anecdotal factors like frugality, proximity to jobs, and personal expenses.

Canadian poverty statistics take into account the size of the community when calculating these numbers, but not the other factors mentioned above and, at any rate, Canada's population is about one ninth of the United States, making such attempts to provide contextual data far easier.

There is no doubt America has a poverty problem. But the issue has been sullied by political agendas, preconceived notions, and stereotypes about the poor. Many on the Right insist poverty isn't a problem at all, assuming people work hard enough and manage their money intelligently, ignoring factors such as luck, circumstances and lack of opportunity. Meanwhile, the Left often gives a Pity Party for the Poor, inciting the Politics of Envy to get votes without really addressing the problem. According to their rhetoric, those in poverty are victims of an unfair system and nothing more.

Of course, these are generalizations of generalizations. Opinions on poverty and what to do about it vary even within political philosophies. It does no service to the downtrodden of this country to oversimplify their problems and, as we have seen, distorting the reality to advance a political agenda fails to help either those crippled by poverty or those working to end it.

Learn more about this author, Dion Marshino.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Why are there so many people living below the poverty line in America?
We want to hear your view. Write now!